Combination steaming and pressing iron



Sept 2l, 1943- F. E. woLcorT COMBINATION`STEAMING AND-PRESSING IRONFiled Nov. 5. 1940 [lill/IIA 'lll/lll l INVENTOR. fPA/v/f E'. l/VoLGOTT.

TTORNEK Patented Sept. 2l, 1943 NT OFFICE COMBINATION STEAMING ANDPRESSING i IRON Frank E. Wolcott, West Hartford, Conn., assignor to TheSilex Company, Hartford, Conn.

Application November 5, 1940, serial No. 364,425

(C1. ss-'m 8 Claims.

'This invention relates to combination steaming and pressing irons fromwhich steam is ejected upon the surface of the work so as to dampen thesame while it is' being ironed, and more particularly to such ironshaving open grooves in the ironing surface thereof, as shown anddescribed in the co-pending application of Louis V. Lucia, Serial No.352,926, led August 16, 1940.

The object of the present invention is to provide novel improvements inthe construction of said irons whereby certain advantages are attained,as will be more clearly understood from the following description andfrom the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a steam iron embodying my invention with partsthereof being shown in central vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the soleplate of said liron with the steam distributing chamber cover removedtherefrom.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view, in central vertical section, illustratinga modied form of my present invention.

further -conduit 9 having a steam passage I0.

A sole plate I I is secured to said container, and in contact with theheating element 7, by means of a screwA I2 having a passage I3therethrough communicating with the passage I0. The said screw has ahead I4 which is seated within a steam distributing chamber I5 in thesole plate which communicates with the passage I through the passage I3.

The said distributing chamber-is provided with a closure in the form ofa screw plug preferably comprising a plate I6 which ts within a recessI1 in the surface of the sole plate. The said plate I6 has an annularWall I8 which is threaded to the wall of said distributing chamber I andprovides a recess I9 that communicates, through apertures 20, with anannular steam conducting recess 2I that surrounds the said plug. Opengrooves 22 are provided in the ironing surface of the said sole plateand communicate with the said distributing chamber I5 to direct steamtherefrom uponthe surface of the work, as described in the saidco-pending application.

In the operation of a steam iron embodying the present invention, steamis directed through the passages I0 and I3 to the steam distributingchamber I5. From said chamber the steam will pass outwardly through theapertures 20 to the annular chamber 2I and therefrom into the grooves22.

The present invention is of particular advantage in that it permits theforming of the grooves 22, in the ironing surface of the sole plate, bya casting operation and without requiring drilling or other likeoperations for communicating said grooves with the steam distributingchamber; the annular recess 2I providing communication between the saidsteam distributing chamber and the said grooves, through the passages2l), irre-l spective of the position of said passages with relation tothe grooves.

It will be noted that the plate I6 underlies a.

' portion adjacent the ends of the grooves 22 which 4extend into therecess 2I which communicates with the distributing chamber I5 throughthe passages 20.

' The said grooves, recess and chamber, all being open to the surface ofthe sole plate, may be formed in the same operation of die-casting, orthe like, vwhereby the sole plate is produced.

In the modified form illustrated in Fig. 4, the closure for the steamdistributing chamber IE-a may be provided in the form of a washer I6-awhich fits within the recess I'I-av and is secured therein by means of ascrew 24 that is threaded to the screw IZ--a and has a recess 25 whichcommunicates with the distributing chamber I5a through steam'passages2li-a. In this form, the ends of the grooves 22`a communicate lisicatlywith the steam distributing chamber In the form illustrated inFig. 5,the closure for the steam distributing chamber I5-b may be formed in aninexpensive manner; such as by casting them directly in the sole plateand in the same operation that is used for producing the said plate.Furthermore, the said improvement provides novel and inexpensive meansfor,

directing steam to the open grooves in the direction in which .theyextend in said sole Plate.

I claim:

1. A steaming iron of the character described comprising a casingincluding a steam chamber, a sole plate having an ironing surfacethereon, steam conducting means in said ironing surface including anopen recess and an open groove extending therefrom, fastening means forsecuring said sole plate to said casing, said fastening means having atapered portion seated within said recess, a passage through saidfastening means for communicating said recess with said steam chamber,and a`closure for said recess having means for directing steam from saidrecess intol said groove.

2. A steam iron of the character described comprising a casing havingsteam conducting means therein, a sole plate including an ironingsurface at the bottom thereof, said surface having therein a recess withopen grooves extending therefrom, a surrounding depression at the mouthof said recess and a closure for said recess having a portion thereofseated in said depression and underlying a portion of said groovesadjacent the ends thereof for guiding steam thereinto.

3. A steam iron of the character described including a, sole platehaving an ironing surface, a recess in said surface having a threadedwall, open grooves in said surface communicating with said recess, adepression in said surface surrounding said recess and extending over aportion of said open grooves, a closure threaded to` said wall andhaving a disc-shaped portion tting within said depression, and means forsupplying steam to said recess, said closure having apertures thereinfor permitting the passage of steam from saidl recess into said groovesand the said disc-shaped portion directing the steam into said groovesand in the direction thereof.

4. A steamng iron of the character described including at the bottomthereof an ironing surface having an open recess, a closure for saidrecess threaded to the wall thereof, an annular distributing recesssurrounding said closure, an open groove radiating from said annularrecess, a, flange on said closure underlying said annular recess to forman annular steam distributing chamber therefrom, the said flange alsounderlying a portion adjacent the end of said groove for directing steamfrom said chamber to said groove. the said -closure having conduit meanscommunicating said recess with the said annular distributing chamberwhereby steam in said recess will be directed to thesaid distributingchamber and therefrom into said groove and substantially in thedirection in which said groove extends.

5. A steaming iron of the character described comprising a casing havinga .steam passage therein, a sole plate secured to said casing and havingan ironing surface thereon, the said ironing surface having therein anopen recess and an open groove extending therefrom, a sleeve threaded tothe wall of said passage and having a head seated in said recess forsecuring the sole plate to said casing, and a separate closure for saidrecess comprising a disc-shaped member rltting within a depressionsurrounding said recess for directing steam from said recess into saidgroove and substantially in the direction in which said groove extends.

6. For a steaming iron of the character described and including a steampassage, a sole plate having an ironing surface in which is provided anopen recess adapted to communicate with said steam passage, open groovesin said surface extending from said recess, and a dcpression in saidsurface surrounding said recess and extending under a portion of saidgrooves adjacent the ends thereof whereby the said sole plate with thesaid recess and groove may be produced by a casting operating and aclosure may be seated within said depression for directing steam fromsaid recess into said groove in the direction thereof to be distributedtherefrom over the surface being ironed, and substantially in thedirection in which said groove extends.

7. For a steaming iron of the character described, a, sole plate havingan ironing surface at the bottom thereof and means above said surfacefor supplying steam thereto, said means including a recess in said soleplate, a depression in said surface surrounding said recess, a cupshapedclosure for said recess having a surrounding flange fitting within saiddepression, an annular distributing groove surrounding said recess andlocated between the same and said flange, open grooves in said surfacehaving a portion thereof extending over said flange and communicatingwith said annular groove, the said closure having apertures in the wallthereof for communicating said recess with said distributing groove.

8. For a steam iron of the character described comprising a sole platehaving an ironing surface with a steam distributing recess and opengrooves in said surface communicating with said recess, a closure forsaid recess including a cupsh-aped member having steam apertures in theWall thereof and a peripheral flange extending laterally from the bottomthereof and adapted to underlie a portion of said grooves to directsteam from said apertures into fsaid grooves in the direction thereof,and means for supplying steam to said recess.

FRANK E, WOLCOI'I'.

